Circular-knitting machine for making neckties and the like.



G. L. BALLARD. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR MAKING NECKTIES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. 1914.

1,200,451. I Patented Oct. 10,1916.

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J. i mg G. L.,BALLARD. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR MAKING NECKTIES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, I9I4.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

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c', JMr-IW G. L. BALLARD. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR MAKING NECKTIES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAY22. I914.

1,200,451. I Patented 0ct.10,1916.

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5 55 fivenfi; Ge'orye Zawaon fiallgmg 5y w w knitted neckties,

' GEOEGE LAWSON BALLARD, or NORRISTOWN,

WILDMAN MFG. 00., A CORPORATION' PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE FOR MAKING NECKTIES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 22, 1914. Serial No. 840,377.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. BALLARD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines for Making Neckties and the like, of which the 1 following is a specification.

It is the. object of my invention to pro vide a circular knitting machine adaptedto make variations in the pattern of a tubular fabric, such for instance in making It comprises a pattern drum or mechanism connected with needles forming a part or the whole of the needle cirtle, and adapted to control said needles, to knit plain fabric, or to perform variations in the knitting as by making tuck stitches at desired points to make the pattern. A

While my invention may be embodied in various forms and with pattern needles constituting more or less of the needle circle, 1

in the particular machine shown the pattern needles occupy about'one-fourth of the needle circle, these needles being controlled from the pattern drum.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of the machine with parts in elevation; Fig. 2 is a planview in the nature of a diagram; Fig. 3 is a side view of the machine looking from the left of Fig. 1; Fig; 4 is a development of the cams ofthe rotary cam ring for the cylinder needles; Fig. 5. is a detail view of one of the pattern pins; Fig. 6 is a view of a detail.

When the machine is organized with pattern needles forming only, a part of the needle circle, two setsof needles are employed, one set a with long stems and the other set b with short stems. The long stem needles are operated by a lower set or circle of'cams 1 in the revolving cam ring 2, while the short stem needles are controlled by "the upper set or circle of cams 1". The machine has multiple feeds. In the present instance I employ two feeds, as is indicated by the fact that I show in Fig. 4 two sets of cams for each set of needles. The pattern needles are controlled either to knit or tuck, and thus make the pattern for thefront of the necktie or tubular fabric, and for controll hese need es the ad ancin cams therefor are made of two heights each indicated at 3, 4, the portion 3 being one-half approximately of the thickness of the cam ring, and occupying the inner half, while the portion 4 constitutes the outer half of .the cam ring.

The long stem pattern needles are adapted to occupy either one of two positions at different distances radiallv in relation to the center of the machine, and consequently to the cam ring, so that their butts 5 will ride either upon the advancing cam portions 3 or upon the advancing cam portions 4 in the former case, 2', 6., when they are deep-in their grooves to cause their butts to ride upon the low cam portion 3, these pattern needles will tuck due to the needle being advanced only high but without moving the latch above the old loop, while when the said pattern needles are adjusted to their outermost positions in the cylinder grooves, the needle butts of these pattern needles will ride upon the high part 4 of the advancing cams and then these Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

needles will lmit. The short stem needles U forming the. remainder of the needle circle will knit, they engaging the upper cam groove and working in the regular way inone-half of the tube.

The pattern needles are held in their innermost position in the cylinder'grooves by theintermediate bent portions bearing on the inner side of the cam ring. They are shifted individually outward to make their butts ride up the high parts 4 of the advancing cams by the sliding p'ushers or needle shifters or adjusters 6 arranged in recesses or grooves 7 at the lower part ofthe needle cylinder, and communicating with the regular'needle grooves. These pushers or needle shifters are operated vertlcally in their grooves by links 8 pivoted to the lower ends of the pushers and pivotally connected at their other ends to pattern levers 8 pivotally mounted individually on a rod 9 supported in a frame part or bracket 10. The

needle shifters are provided with inclined thecorrespondingly inclined or curved bottoms of the upper ends of the grooves inv curved upper end working on the inclined upper portion of its groove, the parts maintaining, however, their vertical positions.

Any needle or number of needles of the pattern set may be controlled to knit, while other needles of said pattern setmay be controlled to tuck, and thus produce the pattern when diflerent colored yarns are used at the two feeds. When-knitting that portion of the tube which does not form the pattern front of the tube or tie, all the pattern needles may becontrolled to knit, or in making the neck band: of the tie all the needles of the pattern set will knit, thus forming, together with the short stem needles, plain rib for the neck band.

The pattern levers 8 are controlled by I pins 12' of a pattern drum 13, said pins having cylindrical shanks held frictionally within holes 14 of the said drum. These pins have rectangular heads 15 to operate on the arms 16 of the pattern levers. The pattern drum is operated step by step by a ratchet wheel 17 fixed thereto, and a pawl 18 on a lever 19 hung on the axis of the pat tern dru1n, said lever havinga forked end 20 operated by a crank or eccentric on a shaft 21. This shaft is driven through gearing 22 from the shaft of the bevel gear 23 which drives the cam ring by meshing with the bevel gear 24. The pattern drum shaft is journaled in a bracket 25 secured to and.

depending from the base 26 of the machine. The pattern levers 8 are pressed by springs 27 which hold themto their; work against the pattern drum, these. springs being carried by the levers 27 fixed to the bracket, v

For controlling the levers 8- a detent plate 28 is employed. This is providedwith a number of spring fingers at its upper part formed by making vertical cuts or slits in the plate extending from its upper edge downwardly, so that there is a spring finger for each of the levers 8. The detent plate 28 is carried by a cross bar 29 attached to an arm 30, the end of which is supported slidably by a pin'and slot at 31. This arm is operated at the proper time to move the retaining plate or comb under the elevated ends of the pattern levers by an arm 32 depending from a shaft 33 and connected pivotally to the,arm, 30, said shaft havin its bearings n a bracket 34on the under si e of and bearing on, a plate.

the base plate. The shaft 33 is rocked by an arm 35 from a pattern Wheel 36 suitably mounted and driven. When the needles (1 are knitting the pattern, each one assumes positions suitable for forming the pattern desired, for instance, they will assume positions alternately .for knitting and tucking; that is, knitting on one feed and tucking on the other feed.

The movement of the drum is timed to act in the space between the two raising cams 4,

4, and therefore in the particular construc-" tion shown the pin drum would be, operated twice for each revolution of th fe machine. When all the pattern needles are to be maintained in their outward position to engage the high cam part 4 for knitting, the detent plate 28 is pressed by its carrier 30 leftward, so that as the needle pushers or adjusters 6 are lifted by successive actions, 2'. 6., part of the series being lifted at one action of the drum and part at another action, the detent fingers will spring under the raised pattern levers 8 and hold them'together with their pushers up and the needles so held up will knit. The spring detents will yield when, on their leftward movement, they strike the ends of those pattern levers which have not yet been lifted, and they will thus be in position to spring under the end of the levers 8 when they are raised.

This machine, in some of its aspects, is similar to that disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by F. B. Wildman, #704,440, dated June 18, 1912, (Patent No. 1,167,866, Jan. 11, 1916); that is, long and short stem needles are used andtwo circles of needle operating cams in the cylinder cam ring, each circle of cams being adapted for a multiple feed machine, by which the needles may be controlled to either knit or tuck. As in said machine the present machine would be equipped with suitable yarn changers or stripers to change the color of yarn used. These yarn changers may be of any suitable form, as in said application, or of other forms, and they may be operated-in a manner such as in said application.

The cylinder cam ring in the present-case includes two circles of needle cams, the upper circle 1", as shown in Fig. 4, having its cams to operate with multiple yarn feeds, the advancing cams being indicated at w and 3 and the stitch camsiat-Mand 3 This set itting or: tucking on the short stem needles, and by adjusting this cam down to tllGPOSitlOll' shown in-"dotted lines in Fig. 4

3, 4, the stitch camsz, fai The PPP I ad- I vancing cam fl/ isadjust'able vertically for all the short stem needles will tuck on this feed,.whereas the short stem needles will all knit at the other feed because the cam a: 'at this .feed remains up to advance all these short stem needles high enough for knitting. The cam 3 is adjusted up on one revolution to knit and down on the next revolution to tuck, and accordion fabric will thus be formed on the short stem needles, and if there is more than a half circle of these short stem needles this character of fabric will be knit at the back and side edges of the tie or tube. For adjusting the advancing cam y into either its knitting or tucking position, mechanism similar to that disclosed in the above mentioned application of Wildman is employed, consisting of a cam block 37 to engage a pin 38 extending from the post 39 to which the cam y issecured, said cam block 37 being fixed go a ring 46 movable circumferentially a out the knitting head. This ring is operated by arms 40, 41, connected with shafts 42, 43, mounted in the cam ring and connected together by gearing needles of one 44, as is usual in the Wildman type of rotary cam machine. The arms 40 and 41 are operated by'a tappet roller 45 mounted on the fixed base of the knitting head, said roller being adjusted vertically by pattern mechanism into line with the arm 40 or the arm 41. This pattern mechanism may be of any suitable form. Its action, together with that of the tappet roller 45, is well known in the Wildman type of machine. The arm 40 is connected to the ring 46 by a pin 47 on said arm engaging a grooved block 48 fixed on the ring 46. I It will be understood that with the mechanism above described the needles may be operated in various-orders to produce a great variety of patterns;

I claim as my invention 1. In a circular lmitting machine, a fixed needle cylinder, two groups of needles, the needles of one group occupying one segment of the needle circle and the needles of the other group occupying another segment of the needle circle, one group of needles having long stems and the other group short stems, a set of cams for the long stem needles having a high and a low needle path, means for adjusting the long stem needles individually and selectively to be operated by either the high or low path so that the needles of this segment may tuck or knit in any desired order, and a set of cams for the short stem needles which occupy the other segment of the needle circle, substantially asdescribed.

, 2. In a circular knitting machine, a fixed needle cylinder, two groups of needles, the

roup occupying one segment of the need e circle and the needles of the other group occupying another segment of the needle circle,'one group of needles having long stems and the'other group short stems, a set of cams for the long stem needles having a high and a low needle path, means for adjusting the long stem needles individually and selectively to be operated by either the high or low .path, so that the needles ofthis segment may tuck'or knit in any desired order, and a set of cams for the short stem needles which occupy the other segment of the needle circle, said cams for the short stem needles including an advancing cam with pattern controlled means for adjusting said cam to tuck, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a set of long stem needles, a set ofshort stem needles, a set of needle cams for the long stem needles including an advancing cam having high and low cam paths for advancing the long stem needles for knitting and tucking respectively, a set of shifters for the long stem needles for effecting radial movement of the long stem needles to be operated either by the high or the low cam path, pattern mechanism controlling the said shifters to select and adjust said long stem needles individually, a set of needle cams for the short stem needles, including a vertically adjustable advancing. cam to advance the short stem needles for knitting or tucking, and pattern controlled means for operating the said advancing cam, said pattern controlled means including tappet operated connections carried by the cylinder cam ring, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder,-needles, needle cams, a series of shifters for eifecting'movement of the needles radially in relation to the needle cams to be operated thereby for knitting or tucking according to the position to which the needles are adjusted, and pattern mechanism for adjusting the shifters alternately for knitting and tucln'ng, said pattern mechanism including automatically operating means for maintaining the needle shifters in their adjusted position for continued knitting, substantially as .described.

5. In combination in a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles, needle cams, including van advancing cam having high and low cam paths for respectively operating the needles for knitting and tucking, a series of needle shifters for eifectmg radial adjustment of the needles to be operated either by the high or low cam path, a pattern member, connections between said pattern member and the needle shifters for adjusting the needles for knitting or tucking, and a pattern member with detent means controlled thereby for maintaining the needle shifters in position for lmitting,

thus eliminating for a determined-period her first mentioned, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needles, needle cams, a plurality of needle adjusters for setting the needles for either knitting or tucking, apattern member with connections to the needle adjusters, detent means for engaging and holding said connections in position to which they are adjusted by the said pattern member, and a second pattern member with connections to the said detents for rendering them effective for engaging and holding any one of the connections which may be operated by the first pattern member for setting the needle adjuster, substantially as described.-

7. In combination in a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, needle cams, needles shiftable radially of the cylinder to engage different parts of the needle cams, a series of adjusters for the needles to effect radial adjustment thereof, a pattern member with a series of connections leading therefrom to the different needle adjusters, a detent plate having a series of yielding detents one for each of said bonnections, and a pattern member with connections to the detent plate for applying pressure thereto, said detents operating individually upon the needle adjuster connections to maintain any one of them in adjusted position for a predetermined period, substantially as de scribed.

8. In combination a needle cylinder, needle cams, needles shiftable radially to engage different parts of said needle cams,

a series of needle adjusters for effecting radial adjustment'of the needles in relation to their cams, a pin' drum, a series of levers operated thereby, connections between the said levers and the needle adjusters, a series of detents one for each of the levers, a pattern mechanism for pressing the detents into engagement with the levers, said detents acting to maintain the levers in the position to which they are removed by the pin drum, and means for operating the pin drum step by step, substantially as described.

9. In combination a fixed needle cylinder, a rotary cam ring, long and short stem needles, a set of cams for each set of needles, the needle cams for the long stem needles having an advancing cam with a high and a low cam path, a series of needle adjusters for effecting radial adjustment of the long stem needles to engage either the high or the low cam paths, pattern mechanism arranged at one fixed point and connected with the needle adjusters for operating them individually, the set of needle cams for the short stem needles including a verticaly adjustable advancing cam, pattern controlled tappet means, and connections revolving with the cam ring to be actuated by said tappet means for adjustin the advancing cam of the short stem need es, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD. Witneses:

ISABEL G. RAns'roN, OWEN BALLARD. 

